7/26/2013 |
The new ranking of baseball's Top 100 prospectsWay back in January, MLB.com launched its Top 100 Prospects list, along with Top 20 rankings for each organization. Now, well into the season and past the Draft, Minor League All-Star breaks and the Futures Game, the landscape of the MLB Pipeline has changed considerably.

7/26/2013 |
Initiatives for Latin American prospects come togetherStarting Sunday, teens from the Major League Baseball Amateur Prospect League will play host to a group of players from the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School and MLB's after-school program on the island in a four-day event that will showcase the players in drills and games.

7/26/2013 |
MLB Notebook: Felix, Iwakuma in rarefied airWhen Giants right-handers Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry each finished the 1966 season with strikeout-to-walk ratios above five, they were only the ninth and 10th pitchers since 1893 to qualify for the ERA title and produce such a mark. A pair of Mariners right-handers are threatening to join Marichal and Perry in a small club of teammates to each have ratios of at least five-to-one in the same year.

7/26/2013 |
Puig-Chapman showdown will be one for the agesSpencer: Baseball is a global sport, and two of its most exciting performers are Cuban defectors. We narrowly missed seeing Yasiel Puig and Aroldis Chapman go mano-a-mano, but that time will come.

7/26/2013 |
Walk-up songs a study in players' personalitiesPlayers use precision and vet their options before arriving at a choice for the tune that will prepare them for their ensuing bout with the opposition. The verdict can reveal plenty about one's personality and superstition, not to mention musical preferences.

7/26/2013 |
Cubs give emotional goodbye to veteran SorianoBefore departing for New York, Alfonso Soriano got a chance to address his Cubs teammates one last time, saying an emotional goodbye to players he had provided leadership and mentorship to over the years.

7/26/2013 |
As Deadline nears, competition among GMs heats upGeneral managers whose teams are battling against each other on the field, are shopping for the same players off it. As the Trade Deadline approaches, that competition for talent only heats up.

7/26/2013 |
Granderson plays five innings in first rehab gameCurtis Granderson and Jayson Nix each went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored for Class A Advanced Tampa on Thursday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field, where they'll remain through the weekend as they work their way back to the Yankees.

7/26/2013 |
Oh, brother: Molinas rank among MLB's best siblingsAmong the many October possibilities, a World Series matching the St. Louis Cardinals against the Tampa Bay Rays would provide a fascinating subplot, bringing together teams whose catchers are brothers.

7/25/2013 |
Deadline chatter: Soriano on verge of NY returnIt appears the next phase of the Cubs' makeover is in full swing, while the Yankees are still very much playing for 2013. Those interests have intersected in the person of Alfonso Soriano with the Trade Deadline less than a week away.

7/25/2013 |
Cardinals close homestand with sweep of PhilliesFor all his recent struggles, Lance Lynn still managed to become the National League's fourth 12-game winner Thursday. The pacing issues that plagued Lynn his last time out appeared to return, but they didn't last long as he overcame an escalating pitch count that surpassed 100 in the sixth to efficiently retire his last nine batters while the Cardinals hung on for a 3-1 win over the Phillies.

7/25/2013 |
Reds quiet as Trade Deadline approachesWhile some clubs have already been active on the trade market, and many others are part of rumors, there hasn't been much heard from the Reds -- yet.

7/25/2013 |
Sabean tempers trade talk with Deadline nearDeclining to label the Giants as either buyers or sellers with baseball's Trade Deadline approaching, general manager Brian Sabean indicated that the club won't make any major moves in the coming week.

7/25/2013 |
Richards gets another chance in starting rotationThe Angels announced after Wednesday's game that Joe Blanton was going to the bullpen and Garrett Richards was replacing him in the rotation, starting against the A's on Saturday, despite serving as a reliever for the better part of the last three months.

7/25/2013 |
Players' visit 'extra special' for children in hospitalOn Thursday afternoon, Todd Redmond, Brett Cecil, Colby Rasmus and Josh Thole visited with children at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. They signed autographs, took pictures and played in a wheelchair baseball game.

7/25/2013 |
Montero listed as day to day but feeling goodFor the third consecutive game Wednesday, D-backs catcher Miguel Montero was out of the lineup as an MRI revealed inflammation in his back. The injury isn't considered serious at this point and the club is listing him as day to day.

7/25/2013 |
With Jaso on seven-day DL, A's recall VogtThe A's recalled catcher Stephen Vogt from Triple-A Sacramento on Thursday to replace John Jaso, who was placed on the seven-day disabled list designated for players with concussions.

7/25/2013 |
Teams wrestling with buying or selling at DeadlineMost teams simply don't allow their best players to ever hit the free-agent market, so the Trade Deadline has become largely a marketplace for complementary pieces. That decision comes with a downside, too, and that's what the Royals, Mariners and Phillies -- and others -- are wrestling with as Wednesday approaches.

7/25/2013 |
Thompson staying in contact with resting WedgeMariners bench coach Robby Thompson continued his duty as interim manager in place of Eric Wedge on Thursday after the team learned following Wednesday's game that their skipper would miss at least the next 10 games following a minor stroke.

7/25/2013 |
Morse closing in on return to Mariners lineupMichael Morse was scheduled to play nine innings in right field for Triple-A Tacoma on Thursday night in his fourth rehab game, and a decision could come soon on when he'll rejoin the Mariners, according to interim manager Robby Thompson.